If you like rogues in WoW, spy is for you.

Cloaking, decent first strike, DOTs, no lasting power over extended fights , some escape options.

PvP choice for the solo ganker.

If you like sniper in BF2 ... get rifle, get into sniper position, cloak , wait til enemy engages NPCs ,  fire at enemy (preferably DOTing him), recloak at the earliest opportunity, watch while enemy is trying to figure out why NPCs are harder than usual today, wait til he incaps and recovers from incap, execute him when he stands up but before he heals himself.

Have fun

Erillion

Proud spy here!

OK ... one thing you have to realize as a spy is that your days of going toe-to-toe with too many people are over. Spy is a combination of burst damage, DOTs and escapability. You try to engage someone for too long, you're not going to make it.

My spy is level 90, specced melee. I use primus-layered RIS armor with both cybernetic arms (although, with the Ch. 5 revamp, I will likely be dropping the strength arm to pick up six more slots for mods). My camo as it stands now is about 150, I should be able to push that to around 180ish with the revamp, since as it stands camo mods can only be applied to the chestplate and shirt. I use a guardian blaster fist, scythe blade and nova edge sword -- I usually lead with the scythe blade and follow up with the GBF if I need another DOT.

Your biggest assets as a spy are three stealth abilities, with the proper expertise (two of which allow you to actually escape combat), two heals (one normal, one when cloaked), the expertise ability to detect other spies (which I use), and ambush or snipe (depending on melee or ranged), a burst damage attack out of cloak. Ambush (the melee version) gives a chance for a bleed dot, which means by playing your weapons correctly and getting lucky, you can do the elusive three-DOT tick on some unsuspecting doofus.

Downsides: virtually zero DOT mitigation (poison DOTs can be cleared with an expertise skill that basically takes a big chunk out of your health anyway, so it's not worth having), your armor takes a hit because of camo-modded gear that is generally substandard, generally low health and stamina paired with high-action cost specials, and fairly low DPS after the initial burst. You will not be charging headlong into groups and blowing people away. As a spy, you will tend to hang along the fringes, picking off the stragglers, picking up deathblows and quickly stealthing -- in PvP, anyway.

In PvE, spies have the ability to steal credits and items from NPCs, but your camo better be pretty high or you'll get caught fairly frequently. Spies also can infiltrate the Death Watch Bunker and, with minimal difficulty, get in position to farm DWB loots with virtual impunity. Just know the safe spots where you can refresh your cooldown timers and you'll be fine.

Any other questions, just ask, I'll keep an eye on this thread.

Originally posted by RainStar
If anyone here has a character in the spy profession I'd like your opinion on how much fun it is over other professions. I'm thinking about doing a respec and want to know.

Just realized I never answered your original question.

Spy is hella fun.

Thanks for the reply kobie!

Looks like I need to get different armor, I read in a post at the SOE forums that composite was the best.

What would you say would be a good PvE template?

And, what would be a good template for PvP?

Honestly, there is no "best template". Of all the combat professions, I find spy to be the most customizable to your playstyle. The only essential skill is Without A Trace -- definitely take that whole line down to there.